Tandem wheel arrangements have two or more wheels arranged in line with each other. Earthmoving machines, for example, use tandem wheel arrangements for applications requiring traction and stability while operating over rough terrain. Once such machine, for example, is a motor grader, which is a type of machine that is typically used to create a flat or graded surface of a landscape. Other examples of machines or vehicles having tandem drive arrangements include trucks, trains, moving platforms, gantry cranes, and so forth. Tandem wheel arrangements may employ hydraulic, electrical, or mechanical power to propel one or more of the wheels in the arrangement. Such arrangements typically have both wheels capable of powered rotation, preferably at equal torques, such that the tandem arrangement remains balanced and stable.
A typical drive configuration for tandem wheels includes a rotating sprocket that powers one or more wheels of the arrangement via chains. The sprocket, chains, and associated gears are typically enclosed within an enclosure or beam, which is pivotally connected to the machine at a location close to the sprocket. The chains are typically arranged to provide an equal amount of torque to each driven wheel because, otherwise, a moment may be applied to the tandem drive arrangement. This moment may cause instabilities, for example, by lifting a portion of the tandem wheel arrangement relative to another portion such that one or more wheels of the arrangement cannot fully engage the driving surface.